Griffins sign former Michigan State forward

The Grand Rapids Griffins signed Michigan State forward Chris Mueller to an amateur tryout and assigned defenseman Jason Jozsa to the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers on Wednesday.

Mueller, 22, recently completed his senior season with the Spartans, and had 13 goals and 14 assists in 42 games. In his four-year career in East Lansing, he had 42 goals, 62 assists and 141 penalty minutes in 166 contests.

He was a member of the Spartans' NCAA championship team in 2007, when he led the team with 10 points, five goals and a plus-9 rating in the postseason. He also was named to the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team.

Mueller will be available to make his professional debut Friday night when the Griffins host the Manitoba Moose at Van Andel Arena.

Jozsa, 26, was signed to a pro tryout by Grand Rapids on Feb. 21, and signed a standard player's contract one week later. He had one goal, five assists and 12 penalty minutes in 23 games with the Griffins.

Jozsa returns to Las Vegas, where he had two goals and 28 assists in 49 games this season.

He'll also get a chance to play in the postseason. The Wranglers will face the Stockton (Calif.) Thunder in the first round of the ECHL playoffs.

Karlander named IHL MVP
Forward Kory Karlander, who appeared in two games with the Griffins this season, was named the International Hockey League's most valuable player this season.

Karlander, who plays for the Kalamazoo Wings, led the IHL with 89 points (37 goals, 52 assists). He also had a 13-game point streak from Dec. 19-Jan. 11.

Karlander will be presented with the award during the K-Wings' regular-season finale against the Port Huron Icehawks on Saturday.

The Griffins signed Karlander to a pro tryout on March 15, and he had one assist, four shots and two penalty minutes in two games before being released on March 17.